Thought for the Day, 12 June 2007

Indarjit Singh

Sikhs are about to commemorate one of the most important days in the Sikh calendar: the martyrdom of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan, who gave his life in promoting understanding and respect between India's religious communities. His martyrdom four centuries ago is a reminder that religious fanaticism has always been with us.

In Guru Arjan's time, society was totally polarised, with the majority Hindu community subjugated by cruel Mughal conquerors. There was virtually no resistance to forced conversion; only resentment and hatred. To work for inter-religious understanding in those difficult times required exceptional courage and commitment. Guru Arjan possessed both in abundance.

To show his respect for Islam he invited a Muslim saint to lay the foundation stone of the famous Golden Temple, or Darbar Sahib in Amritsar, with its four doors welcoming people from any geographic or spiritual direction. The Guru was also the main compiler of the Sikh holy scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, in which he included verses of Hindu and Muslim saints to show different religions often shared similar guidance.

All this proved too much for the bigoted Mughal Emperor. The Guru was arrested and tortured to death in the searing heat of an Indian June. Every year, Sikhs remember the Guru's suffering by heat and thirst by setting up stalls outside homes and gurdwaras to give cool refreshing drinks to passers-by.

Last year was the 400th anniversary of the Guru's martyrdom and British Sikhs decided to involve the wider community. Visitors to Trafalgar Square in London, were astonished to see turbaned Sikhs and senior clerics from other faiths joining together in handing out thousands of free cans of juice and soft drinks to passing tourists. Of course this example of faiths working happily together never made the national news.

Today, bigotry of belief is still with us. There are real problems of prejudice, misunderstanding and potential terrorism, and we can't afford to be complacent. But constant talk of entirely divided communities simply adds to suspicion and hostility. I personally know of many initiatives by individuals and organisations, in the spirit of those taken by Guru Arjan, that are quietly building bridges of understanding between different communities. Skewed reporting of only doom and gloom, makes their task that much harder.